Is Vinegar Good for You?

Vinegar is good for you in small amounts, but it can be harmful in large amounts. Vinegar is very acidic, this acid can provide some benefits. Vinegar will clean your internal systems to some degree by killing potentially harmful bacteria. Now we do need some bacteria to stay healthy so too much vinegar can also be harmful for that reason. Drinking a significant amount of vinegar will also cause damage to your stomach and intestine as the acid can eventually burn a hole in your guts, that’s unlikely to happen unless you chug a glass of vinegar everyday.

A typical healthy amount of vinegar to ingest is about two tablespoons diluted in a quart of water. This dilution will lower the chances of the acid being hard on your stomach, and two tablespoons won’t do that much anyway. I just put it on my fries and I’m sure I get enough.

Another health benefit from vinegar is that it helps control blood sugar and insulin levels if you ingest it after eating a meal that is high in carbohydrates. It will also increase your sense of fullness if you have vinegar after a carbohydrate rich meal, meaning you’ll be less inclined to snack on something that’s probably bad for you later.

On last note, if you eat regularly the acid content of your stomach may be low, those that eat infrequently may have the opposite effect and have excess acidity in their stomach. The reason is that the food you eat absorbs the acid in your stomach (stomach acid), if you eat every couple of hours that acid may be low, drinking a small amount of vinegar can increase that acid level and make it easier for your stomach to absorb nutrients such as: calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, and vitamin C. Watch out for heartburn from too much acidity, especially if you have acid reflux.